THE truth hurts, or at least costs, as Hawthorn defender Campbell Brown discovered yesterday when he was fined $15,000, of which $7500 was suspended, for admitting that he lied to the AFL Tribunal to help the cause of West Coast captain Chris Judd.

For his revelation — a boast in the opinion of the AFL — Brown's fine was enough to ensure that if players fib for one another in the future they will never admit to it.

Former football strongman Mal Brown, Campbell's father, said it was the "funniest case of all time".

"I've only been in the game for 40 years and this absolutely astounds me — I'd like to know what fib they've found him guilty of," Brown said.

The outcome of Brown's confession finished what was an expensive day for the Hawks, with the club fined $50,000 — $25,000 of which was suspended — for videotaping the round-18 match between the Western Bulldogs and St Kilda at Telstra Dome without authorisation from the AFL.

To protect the rights and a five-year, $780 million investment of its broadcast partners, the league forbids the filming of matches and is believed to have been concerned for some time by suggestions that clubs have been scouting the opposition with hand-held and even disguised cameras at games.

It is understood that Hawthorn's illegal camera work was detected by the closed-circuit TV monitors inside Telstra Dome.

The Hawks, who play the Bulldogs in round 21, handed over their tape of the game to the league after being discovered.

Hawthorn chief executive Ian Robson said last night that while the club understood a penalty was warranted in both cases, it had lobbied for a reprimand and a suspended fine for both Brown and the club.

"While the club is disappointed that a financial penalty has been levied upon Campbell, it is pleased that the matter was dealt with quickly, leaving player and club to focus on this week's match against Port Adelaide on Sunday at Aurora (Stadium)," Robson said.

"Notwithstanding the club's admission of guilt, in both instances we believed that a severe reprimand and suspended sentence would have been adequate."

AFL football operations manager Adrian Anderson disagreed and said that any club in the future caught filming games without authorisation would draw a significantly higher penalty.

Brown angered the AFL with his admission, made during a television interview on Monday night.

Asked on the program On The Couch, if he had "fibbed" to assist Judd, who beat an eye-gouging charge laid against him after a scuffle between the two during the round-nine match at Launceston in late May, Brown admitted: "Yeah, I did."

He added: "He obviously wanted to get off, I wanted him to get off, everyone wanted him to get off."

Anderson, who decided not to refer Brown to the tribunal where the possibility of a suspension existed, said "the integrity of the AFL Tribunal system was vital for everyone involved in the AFL industry".

With WEST AUSTRALIAN